Lin Mu untied it carefully. The paper was brittle with age and slightly singed on one corner, but the ink remained legible.
Report Filed – 372 Years Ago
Location: Southern Outskirts, Golden Scales Territory
Subject: Deranged Survivor Found Outside the Shadow Whisper Valley
Description: A man was discovered wandering the trade route near Mistfern Outpost. Clothing was torn and bloodied. Subject appeared in a state of extre ntal distress—unresponsive to questions, unable to identify self.
Subject repeated a single word endlessly:" Ephera… Ephera… Ephera…"
Attempts to communicate failed. Subject did not survive the night.
Speculated origin: Shadow Whisper Valley. No family or friend claid the body.
Filed by: Patrol Captain Yiru Shen. Deed unfit for investigation due to lack of evidence.
Lin Mu stared at the parchnt.
'Ephera?' he repeated in his mind.
The word carried a strange weight—like sothing ethereal yet deeply rooted in dread. It wasn't a na he had heard before, but the ntion of Shadow Whisper Valley, combined with the man's madness, sent a chill up his spine.
He rolled the docunt up again and tucked it into his robe.
Perhaps it wasn't solid evidence, but in a sea of silence, even a whisper could guide a man through the dark.
The city buzzed with activity outside the registry office, but Lin Mu walked through it quietly, the old parchnt tucked safely into his robes. His boots tapped lightly against the polished stone streets as rchants peddled goods, city guards moved in formation, and travelers wandered about, so still gossiping about the banquet attack.
But Lin Mu was lost in thought.
He passed several stalls before stopping at a modest tea shop nestled between a tailor's boutique and a lamp-maker's storefront. The tea shop had no na—just a faded wooden sign with the image of a steaming cup. The exterior was weather-worn, but the interior was clean and tranquil.
A series of hanging bamboo blinds let in dappled sunlight, casting lines across the low wooden tables. Small ceramic teapots stead on each table, and the scent of roasted barley and jasmine hung in the air like a gentle fog.
Lin Mu slid into a seat by the window and ordered a pot of jasmine tea. As the warmth of the drink seeped through his palms, he unrolled the aged report again and read it once more.
"Ephera… Ephera…"
'Was this the man's last word… or a clue to sothing more?' Lin Mu wondered.
The record was strange, but the details were too specific to be fabricated. And if this man had erged from Shadow Whisper Valley in such a state, it couldn't be a coincidence. The Hollow Eye Sect was said to reside there, and madness wasn't uncommon in places steeped in twisted cultivation.
'I need more,' Lin Mu decided. 'If this Captain Yiru Shen is still alive… I might be able to get sothing real.'
He mulled over the timing in his head. The report was dated 372 years ago—not ancient, but far from recent. However, if this Yiru Shen had reached the Immortal Realm by then—and assuming he'd kept up with his cultivation—he could easily still be alive.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Lin Mu finished his tea and stood up.
Outside, he approached a pair of Golden Scales guards near the marketplace.
"Excuse ," he said politely. "Do either of you know of a man nad Yiru Shen? He would've been a patrol captain nearly four hundred years ago."
The guards exchanged looks.
"Yiru Shen?" one repeated. "You an Vice Captain Yiru Shen?"
"He's still active?" Lin Mu asked.
"Oh, very much so," the second guard replied. "He's the Vice Captain of the Eastern Guard Battalion. Handles major district security."
"Where would I find him?"
"At the main city barracks. Southern end of Goldveil Street."
Lin Mu thanked them and quickly made his way across the city.
The barracks stood like a fortress amidst the elegant buildings of the rchant district. Thick stone walls rose high, topped with golden-tiled watchtowers. Rows of guards trained in the inner courtyards, their synchronized movents echoing off the walls like rhythmic thunder.
Inside the front office, Lin Mu presented his na, and the receptionist's eyes widened slightly. A ssage was dispatched, and within minutes, a broad-shouldered man erged from a side door.
He looked to be in his late fifties by appearance, with iron-gray hair tied in a short warrior's knot. His face was stern but not unkind, lined with the experience of centuries. His eyes were sharp—like steel that had been tempered many tis.
"I'm Vice Captain Yiru Shen," the man said, extending a hand. "You must be Daoist Lin Mu."
"I am," Lin Mu replied, shaking his hand firmly. "Thank you for seeing . I'm here to ask about a report you filed long ago."
Yiru Shen's brow furrowed. "I've filed thousands. Can you be more specific?"
Lin Mu pulled the aged scroll from his robe and gently unfolded it.
The mont Yiru Shen saw it, recognition flickered across his face.
"Ah… the madman from the valley," he said, his voice lowering. "Yes… I rember."
"So it is your report?" Lin Mu asked.
"It is. I found that poor wretch myself. He stumbled out of the woods near Mistfern Outpost. Bloodied, torn clothes, eyes wide like he'd seen the world end."
Lin Mu leaned in slightly. "You said he kept repeating the word 'Ephera'?"
Yiru Shen nodded. "Over and over. Couldn't get anything else out of him. Didn't respond to food, dicine, or even spiritual probes. Just… that word. As if it was carved into his soul."
Lin Mu's brow tightened. "Do you recall anything else? Any detail, no matter how small?"
Yiru Shen thought for a long mont, then shook his head. "He had no identifying items. No injuries either—not a scratch, despite being covered in blood."
"So the blood wasn't his?"
"Correct," Yiru Shen confird. "I checked. No wounds. The blood was fresh though. Whoever—or whatever—it belonged to, we never found out."
Lin Mu narrowed his eyes. "Anything… unusual about him? Other than the madness?"
Yiru Shen hesitated this ti. "No... I an..."
He trailed off.
User Comments
0 comments from readers